Olmsted County Sheriff confirms ‘suspicious death’ is homicide investigation after Minneapolis police found ‘crime scene with signs of violence’

ROCHESTER, Minnesota (KTTC) – While the investigation into the death of Liara Tsai is officially being conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) provided some new details about the investigation that was launched after Tsai’s body was discovered in the back seat of the vehicle driven by Margot Lewis.

According to Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, when the vehicle was examined at the scene of the accident, an initial search of the registration document revealed it was linked to a Minneapolis residence. The OCSO then requested an address check from the MPD.

When MPD and BCA officers executed a search warrant for the Minneapolis residence, they found a “crime scene with signs of violence.”

Sheriff Torgerson stated that Tsai’s cause of death was “multiple sharp force injuries.”

The sheriff confirmed that Tsai and Lewis knew each other.

When asked if anyone else might have been involved in Tsai’s murder, Sheriff Torgerson said, “We don’t think so, but it’s certainly possible.”

The sheriff also stated that “the suspect was uncooperative from the beginning.”

Margot Lewis is currently charged in Olmsted County with Disturbance of a Dead Body or Crime Scene and was given a $1 million unconditional bail. Lewis is currently being held at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center.

The investigation in Olmsted and Hennepin counties remains a homicide investigation.

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